Star-struck Crabtree aiming to lift Giants

The towering prop was the envy of all his team-mates when he found himself in a lift with singer Rihanna at England’s Manchester hotel on the eve of Friday’s International Origin.

Crabtree admits being “panicked” when coming up against such pop royalty but he will certainly not be as sheepish when Huddersfield tackle Leeds Rhinos next Sunday.

“It was a proper random moment,” he said. “I was just getting in the lift and saw these two big guys while just behind there was this little frail girl in the corner.

“I thought ‘she’s tiny’ and then realised who it was.

“I got out at my floor just as (Huddersfield team-mate) Brett Ferres was walking in.

“I didn’t know whether to get out or stay in and panicked a bit. But then I thought I’d had my moment and left him to it. Apparently she wished us (England) luck.”

Crabtree is back to normality today, though, as he rejoins his club-mates to begin preparations for the visit of the champions.

Leeds are also in action against Widnes tonight which should aid second-placed Huddersfield’s chances of picking up another win against them on Sunday.

However, after suffering a surprise loss at Hull KR in their last appearance, Crabtree admitted: “We didn’t deserve to get anything out of it and it ended up we didn’t.

“We were terrible.

“It’s going to be tough for Leeds on Monday as they’ve a few injuries, which is good for us.

“But our boys have had a bit of a break, too, with the international and, hopefully, we can all come back refreshed, revitalised and ready to rip back into Super League.

“We need to after what happened at Rovers.”

Crabtree, who impressed in the 30-10 triumph over the Exiles, is full of praise for Huddersfield colleague Leroy Cudjoe, the in-form centre, who continued his impressive development with two tries in the International Origin.

“He’s come on leaps and bounds,” said the 30-year-old, who has seen first-hand Cudjoe’s development since initially emerging from the club’s academy.

“He’s getting stronger and stronger plus more confident every year.

“Leroy’s really rugby-smart, too, always talking about the game and how we could be doing things differently while adding his input.

“It’s really impressive to see what he’s done and, actually, I’m quite proud.”

Crabtree, who missed the autumn internationals due to shoulder surgery, should have done enough to secure his own World Cup spot after producing a big impact off the bench. It is a role reversal for him compared with his usual longer minutes in Huddersfield colours but he said: “It’s always fantastic to pull on an England jersey.

“I did feel a lot more comfortable than I have done in the past and I think that bodes well for me.

“I knew I had to get involved early and take a couple of carries and, hopefully, I’ve done enough to keep in his (Steve McNamara’s) mind for the end of the season.”